Mary Therese Vicente
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Mary Therese Vicente (March 23, 1921 – June 7, 1995) was a
Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...
religious sister A religious sister (abbreviated ''Sr.'' or Sist.) in the Catholic Church is a woman who has taken public vows in a religious institute dedicated to apostolic works, as distinguished from a nun who lives a cloistered monastic life dedicated to pr ...
whose devotion to the
Holy Face The Holy Face of Jesus is a title for specific images which some Catholics believe to be miraculously formed representations of the face of Jesus Christ. The image obtained from the Shroud of Turin is associated with a specific medal worn by som ...
led her to the foundation of Sisters of the Holy Face of Jesus.


Life

Victorina was born on March 23, 1921, in
Quiapo, Manila Quiapo () is a district of the city of Manila, in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. Referred to as the "Old Downtown of Manila", Quiapo is home to the Quiapo Church, where the feast of the Black Nazarene is held with millions of p ...
. She was the seventh and the only daughter among the eleven children of the sculptor Maximo Vicente Sr., and Crispina Laxamana. At age four, Vicente experienced an almost fatal fever. However, according to the Memoirs of Mary Therese, she was given
Lourdes Lourdes (, also , ; oc, Lorda ) is a market town situated in the Pyrenees. It is part of the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Occitanie region in southwestern France. Prior to the mid-19th century, the town was best known for the Château ...
water by a Celador of Lourdes Church, which she claimed had saved her life. From 1928 to 1938, Victorina had formal schooling at the Colegio de Santa Rosa,
Intramuros Intramuros (Latin for "inside the walls") is the historic walled area within the city of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. It is administered by the Intramuros Administration with the help of the city government of Manila. Present-day I ...
, where she finished with honors. While at the Colegio de Santa Rosa, her family's household often brought her medicine, and the nuns at the institution often gave her extra food due to her poor health. She graduated in 1941 with a degree in commerce from the
University of Santo Tomas The University of Santo Tomas (also known as UST and officially as the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, Manila) is a private, Catholic research university in Manila, Philippines. Founded on April 28, 1611, by Spanish friar Miguel ...
. Victoria was among the earliest members of the
Legion of Mary The Legion of Mary ( la, Legio Mariae, postnominal abbreviation L.O.M.) is an international association of members of the Catholic Church who serve it on a voluntary basis. It was founded in Dublin, as a Marian movement by the layman and civi ...
in the Philippines. In 1942, Vicente was made Curia President. As president, she traveled in different locations in Manila from Quiapo,
Binondo Binondo () is a district in Manila and is referred to as the city's Chinatown. Its influence extends beyond to the places of Quiapo, Santa Cruz, San Nicolas and Tondo. It is the oldest Chinatown in the world, established in 1594 by the ...
and Santa Cruz despite the Japanese invasion and occupation. She organized the Inter Parish Catechetical Convention, also extending the Legion in
Pampanga Pampanga, officially the Province of Pampanga ( pam, Lalawigan ning Pampanga; tl, Lalawigan ng Pampanga ), is a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Lying on the northern shore of Manila Bay, Pampanga is bordered by Tarlac ...
. Victoria entered the
Discalced Carmelites The Discalced Carmelites, known officially as the Order of the Discalced Carmelites of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel ( la, Ordo Fratrum Carmelitarum Discalceatorum Beatae Mariae Virginis de Monte Carmelo) or the Order of Discalced Carme ...
. On February 2, 1947, at the Carmelite convent in
Lipa, Batangas Lipa (), officially the City of Lipa ( fil, Lungsod ng Lipa), is a 1st class component city in the province of Batangas, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 372,931 people. It is the first city charter in the pro ...
, she received the
religious name A religious name is a type of given name bestowed for a religious purposes, and which is generally used in such contexts. Christianity Catholic Church Baptismal name In baptism, Catholic Church, Catholics are given a Christian name, which should ...
''Mary Therese of the Sacred Heart'' after her favorite saint,
Therese of Lisieux Therese or Thérèse is a variant of the feminine given name Teresa. It may refer to: Persons Therese *Duchess Therese of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1773–1839), member of the House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and a Duchess of Mecklenburg * Therese of B ...
. During her stay at the convent in
Lipa Lipa or LIPA (Cyrillic: Липа) may refer to: Acronym *Liquid Isopropyl alcohol *League for Independent Political Action, a former American progressive political organization *Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, a performing arts school in ...
, she witnessed the miracles and the said apparitions of the
Blessed Virgin Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...
as
Our Lady Mediatrix of All Graces Mary, Mediatrix of All Grace ( es, María, Mediadora de Toda-Gracia; tl, María, Tagapamagitan ng Lahat ng Biyaya) is a Marian apparition that allegedly took place in the Carmelite Monastery of Lipa, Batangas, Philippines, to a former Carmelit ...
to the postulant,
Teresita Castillo Teresita Lat Castillo also known as Sister Teresing (July 4, 1927 – November 16, 2016) was a Filipino Roman Catholic nun and a visionary who reported Marian apparitions in Lipa, Batangas, Philippines in the year 1948. These reported apparitions ...
. In 1956, she was sent to the convent of Angeles City and appointed as sub-prioress. Arriving in Naga City on August 5, 1966, she assisted Archbishop Teopisto Alberto as first superior and formator of the Daughters of Mary, Mother of the Church. She was actively engaged in social action apostolate of the archdiocese when she was assigned to the convent of Quiapo, which was to become the Holy Face center. In 1977, she assisted Bishop Pedro Bantigue in forming the Missionaries of the Holy Face. She was likewise the first formator of the Daughters of Saint Joseph of Masbate and the organizer of the Crusaders of the Holy Face, a lay organization. In order for her to be in better service in Quiapo, she left the Daughters of Mary, and on October 1, 1986, she founded the
Sisters of the Holy Face The Sisters of the Holy Face (''Sororum a Sancto Vultu'') (also known as the "Institute of Sisters of the Holy Countenance") is a Roman Catholic religious organization for women. The order was founded in San Fior in Treviso Italy in 1930 by Bles ...
, taking the religious name ''Mary Therese of the Holy Face of Jesus'', and served as its superior until her death. Vicente got seriously ill in April 1995 due to
diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...
complications, affecting her heart. She died on June 7, 1995. There have been calls for her to be canonized as a
saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...
.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vicente, Mary Therese 1921 births 1995 deaths University of Santo Tomas alumni Founders of Catholic religious communities Leaders of Catholic female orders and societies 20th-century Filipino Roman Catholic nuns People from Quiapo, Manila